The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-12-15

| in his chair at Ills on the previous evening.
| On the same day Mr.. Stuckey's hat was
| found in the osier beds at Chiswlck.
| day or two later a walking stick, which
| had certainly belonged to him, was picked
| up in the river at Chelsea. The police con-
| tinued the hue-and-c with unabated
vigor, but after these discoveries only one
theory of the old gentleman's disappear
ance seemed tenable. There was no motive
| to suggest his having met foul play. de
had, neither the means nor the strength to
have travelled to any distance. The con-
clusion seemed inevitable that he had
strayed out for some purpose-perhaps for
! no other reason than that his days outing
had unduly excited him-and had somehow
fallen ihto the river. 1t was a considerable
time, however, before the discovery Of the
body put the old mans fate beyond ques-
ton. During the interval Ephraim Stuckey
was more than once summoned to different
points between Kew Bridge and Gravesend
for the purpose of inspecting the CHASTITY
human foatsam and jetsam of the river,
but without result. Four weeks had nearly
elapsed when he received information that
the body of an elderly man had been found
at Deptford, the linen of which appeared
to have been marked with an as" The
features were all but unacceptable, but
after such inspection as was possible,
Ephraim without hesitation pronounced the
remains to be those of his father.
The inquest which followed and which
was, of course, held at Deptford, added only
one additional fact to those above stated.
The medical evidence showed that there
was severe confusion on the head, which
had probably been caused before death,
and the doctor was strongly OF the opinion
that the deceased had been stunned by this
blow and then thrown into the river. There
was nothing, however, to point to definite
conclusion, and after hearing the evidence
Of Rev. Alfred Stuckey and his brother as
to the mental condition Of the deceased,
the jury returned verdict of Found
Drowned" A certificate of this verdict,
together with other documents relating to
the death, was subsequently lodged by the
Rev. Alfred Stuckey, as administrator Of
the deceased, with the Monument Assur-
ance Company, in whose office the insur-
ance on Martin Stuckey's life had been
effected.
About week after this was done Mr.
Capper, the manager of the Monument AS
surance Company, was shown into the Office
OF Mr.. George George, the company's So
licitor.
WELL" he said, 'any result from the
inquiries in Stuckeys casel"
''Yes, little,'' replied Mr.. George, ''but
l am afraid nothing that is much use to US
at present"
alt is not case of suicide?"
"Judge for yourself. You remember
that at the inquest the Rev. Alfred Stuckey
stated that he returned with his father
from Richmond about five,' and left a
quarter of an hour later in order to catch
the 5:35 Metropolitan train to Kings
cross"
81 do"
Every well. Now have ascertained that
Mr.. Alfred and the deceased TOOK car
riage at Richmond not long before four p.
m, but were only driven as far as Barnes.
where, at their own request, they were put
down on the tow-path. have found the
fyman, who says that he set them down on
the tow-path nearly opposite Chiswick
about 4:3J, and saw them walk away east
ward. We have also got hold of an old
woman who saw them on the tow-path near
Hammersmith bridge; but whether below
or above she can not state, walking in the
direction of Putney. She says it was within
~
ing dusk. On that day, October is, the sun,
you will find, set at 4:57. Now, it is not i'm
possible, of course, that Alfred Stuckey
may have been on the tow-path walking
toward Putney about five o'clock, and yet
have afterward caught the 5:S5 train; but
to my mind this evidence throws grave
doubt on his story. Remember, we have
only Alfred Stuckey's word for it that the
oil I'm, 1,o
other hand, there is a strong presumption
that some time after five o'clock that night
he found his way into the river, having
been, according to the medical testimony,
knocked on the head first, presumably by
some one who had a motive for doing so,
which a stranger TO him would not have"
''You think he was murderedr'
81 form no theory at present; but think
that Messrs. Alfred and Ephraim Stuckey
between them, know more about their
fathers disappearance than they have yet
disclosed, and that the evidence we now
have offers very convenient means of
squeezing the truth out of them"
Then what do you advised"
Put all our information in the hands of
the police. We shall never prove suicide,
and if it be case of murder that does not
help the Office. 1t is, therefore, not worth
the company's while TO spend money on
further inquiries. On the other hand, if
there be any fraud in the case, the truth
will very soon come out when one or other
OF these gentlemen are arrested on a charge
of murder, which expect we shall see be-
fore another week is over"
Ii this last conjecture Mr. George George
was not mistaken-he very seldom was
about such matters. Within four or five
days from the time he forwarded his in
formation to Scotland Yard, the Rev. Alfred
Stuckey was IN custody, charged with muir
dering his father.
When he appeared before the magistrate
the facts detailed by MIR. George was sup
plemented by piece of evidence Of the
most damning character. A tramp named
Higgs, was called, and he deposed to hav-
ing seen the deceased, whom he knew well
by sight, in company with another man on
the tow-path between Hammersmith and
Putney some time after dark; to having
overheard something like an alteration.
the old man apparently refusing to go on,
and the young one threatening to chuck
him into the river if he were trou blesome:
and, finally, to having heard loud cries
after he had passed. Higgs did not at
tempt to identify the prisoner, but he was
sure that the man with the deceased was
in q black coat. and closely resembled the
prisoner in height and figure. With regard
to the time he was uncertain; but it was
clear from his statements that it must
have been within five minutes on either
side of a quarter to six. This left time, as
the prosecution showed. for the prisoner
to catch train at Putney Bridge by which
he could have reached st. Pancras so as to
travel by the 7:lO down train from that
station. On that evidence the magistrate
without hesitation committed the prisoner
for trial.